Defiance In The Hunger Games, By Suzanne Collins

Have you ever been so frustrated with specific rules you have to live by that you wanted to rebel? Or you have rebelled, but in a subtle way so it seemed like you were not? These exact thoughts are portrayed in the books we read. One piece of literature that expresses these ideas is The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. In the text, the subtle defiance against the Capitol evolves throughout the text with Katniss Everdeen's character. She is influenced by others, such as Peeta and Haymitch, and her actions influence other citizens in Panem. In the first section of the text, "The Tributes", there are few acts of defiance and they are somewhat small in scale when compared to the others. In District 12, where there is a shortage of food, people

Therefore in Part 2- "The Games", the acts of defiance are stronger and more influential than Part One. Peeta takes the time to think about how his life has changed significantly now that he is a tribute. The night before the Games he is telling Katniss that the Capitol has almost complete control over his life and he is not okay with that. "I don't want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I'm not" (Collins 141). Peeta wants to be himself for as long as possible. He has seen how the Games change others and does not want that to happen to him. He wants to prove to the Capitol that they will never have complete control. "Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to...to show the Capitol that they don't own me. That I'm more than just a piece in their Games" (142). Peeta is clearly defying the Capitol by even thinking these thoughts, and even more so by sharing them with someone else. By having Peeta say this on the night before the Games, it is evident that the author specifically placed this defiance. The reader will find out that this influences Katniss as well to do something similar in the Games. Rue has just died. This enrages Katniss and she decides to defy the Capitol to prove to them that the Games are unjust and unfair. "I want to do something, right here, right now, to shame them, to make them accountable, to show the

The reader knows that some of the rebellious acts by Katniss have been devised by other characters; but it is Katniss's character that has changed to make these actions have more meaning. Initially, only one tribute can survive to become a victor. However due to Katniss and Peeta's subtle subversion of the rules by playing on the Capitol's sympathy, the rules get changed. Now, the tributes can become victors if both of them are from the same district. Katniss and Peeta are both alive, so they continue the idea that they are star-crossed lovers. "If I want to keep Peeta alive, I've got to give the audience something more to care about. Star-crossed lovers desperate to get home together" (Collins 261). This will make the citizens of Panem come together and try to keep them alive. Not only that, but more importantly, it will make the citizens of Panem wish the Games did not exist-or at least that is the idea. This is showing the Capitol that the districts are able to collaborate and work together, which is exactly what the Capitol does not want. As the Games continue, it is harder to survive. Katniss is playing the star-crossed lovers part up as much as she can. "I imagine the teary sighs emanating from the Capitol and pretend to brush away a tear of my own" (281). The star-crossed lovers idea is an act of greater defiance because in the Games you are supposed to kill